Tuesday, July 28, 2015

City fauna: an inquiry

On our daily walks, the dogs and I encounter some of San Francisco's most abundant fauna: rats and pigeons, hummingbirds and honeybees. The dogs wait patiently while I watch these animals carry out some routine task - like this honeybee foraging for passion flower nectar.

Lately, we've also come across a number of animals who seem to have fallen out of their routine. For example, this young rat who followed us for half a block in broad daylight.

Or thisgull we saw earlier in the week, who had lost its ability to fly and got crushed by an oncoming car.

These anecdotal encounters lead me to speculate about cause. Poisons? Drought? Water availability with more toxins that are also more concentrated? Who is studying these problems? If you know, please share! :)